Chapter 199 - 161: Against-the-Heavens Attributes_1

Chapter 199: Chapter 161: Against-the-Heavens Attributes_1The Pikespirit maiden kept saying no, no, but her smooth body kept wriggling into Gaven’s embrace. Especially now that this wasn’t merely a dream but a soul interaction, the sensations were even more distinct. Not to mention the spring-fevered maiden was trembling a bit, even Gaven felt he was about to lose control. He hurriedly spoke to stop her, "Nicole, Nicole, wake up, wake up, stop dreaming, stop dreaming..." "Don’t bother me, don’t bother me, let me sleep a little longer, let me sleep a little longer..." Nicole responded groggily, acting like a little girl who didn’t want to get out of bed, thinking someone was trying to wake her. Her little head burrowed even more determinedly into Gaven’s chest. "Nicole, you’re not in a dream right now..." Left without a choice, Gaven had to use his psychic ability. The condensed psychic energy, like a needle, pricked sharply into the consciousness of the Pikespirit maiden. "Ouch... who pricked me?" Nicole, flapping her wings, jumped away, fully awake now. Covering her head, she looked around in disbelief at Gaven and Lord Virginia, "Mr. Gaven, Lord Virginia, what are you doing here? Where is this? Why am I here? I was just sleeping, dreaming..." Towards the end, Nicole’s round, wide eyes became even larger as she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, "Just now... just now... it wasn’t a dream... You all saw..." The Pikespirit maiden’s cheeks flushed from the root to the tip, more accurately, from top to bottom, like a fully ripened crab. Wisps of steam even started to rise off the top of her head. A maiden in the throes of spring fever is not to be feared, but a public execution like this is terrifying. Not only was Gaven, the person involved, present, but also Lord Virginia, the one she respected the most. Searᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If there were a hole in the ground, she would have wished to burrow into it right there and then. If there were a rope, she would have wished to hang herself on it immediately. If there were a knife, she would have wished to stab it into her brain right away, so she wouldn’t have to think about anything anymore. Gaven knew he absolutely must not bring up the spring dream again; mentioning even a single word might cause her to explode on the spot. The best approach was to divert her attention by ignoring it, or by bringing up something else, hence he acted nonchalant, as if nothing had happened, "Lord Virginia and I are in the midst of an important endeavor that has profound implications for both our territories. We’re establishing the Dragon Oak Dream Realm and now that it’s nearing completion, we need someone to help validate it. You’re the first person I thought of. Feel free to look around; if you notice any issues, report them to me and Lord Virginia immediately." "Okay!" The Pikespirit maiden responded in a voice as small as a mosquito’s, hastily flying away. Where she went was not important; what mattered was getting as far away from Gaven and Lord Virginia as possible. Nicole’s departure was unimaginably fast. Plus, based on her personal dream, her intelligence and perception could not be too low. Gaven, somewhat curious, took a few extra glances at the Pikespirit maiden, reading off her six-dimensional attributes. Hit Points: 3 (Life Dice 1D4-1) Size: Tiny Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 19, Constitution 8, Intelligence 14, Perception 19, Charisma 19 Wow! Gaven inhaled sharply. What do they say about comparisons being odious? Gaven had thought that his attributes accumulated over three lifetimes were already against the odds. But here was someone even more extraordinary. Dexterity, Perception, and Charisma were all nearing the Transcendent level. With such attributes, she could easily fit any casting profession. Of course, the best options would be Perception-oriented professions like Druids or Priests. Or Charisma-inclined positions like that of a Magician. In fact, this was not an isolated case; most of the Fae Race naturally had higher Perception and Charisma compared to average species. However, someone as remarkable as Nicole was rare to see. No wonder Lord Virginia kept her in Spring Bud Fortress, by his side; he probably recognized her innate high attributes. "Nicole’s current state is not optimal for the experiment. I’ll call for another," Gaven said to Lord Virginia, "Just now, my actions were a bit reckless. I should’ve communicated with the owner and explained the situation before dragging her into the Dragon Oak Dream Realm. That would’ve prevented this awkward scene." "Hmph, isn’t that exactly what you wanted?" Lord Virginia scoffed coldly. The somewhat softened relationship between the two regressed in an instant. Gaven truly wanted to reply, I didn’t, I really didn’t. But being the object of a maiden’s spring dream was indeed a very unique experience, more importantly, he had personally taken part in role-playing. This was a predicament that could not be washed clean, like mud on one’s pants. The wisest choice was to play dumb, letting time fade everything away. Gaven refocused on the spectral image of the Dragon Oak Mother Tree, looking for a suitable test subject. This time he was more attentive; he didn’t just recognize the familiar aura, but also made sure of the person’s identity, and communicated with her using psychic ability to awaken her consciousness in the dream. ... "My Lord, please listen to my prayer. I will faithfully follow Your teachings, willingly bearing the hardships of a world in pain, bringing Your kindness, benevolence, and peace to all, healing their suffering, soothing their wounds, and bringing tranquility to their souls." Anna Caben woke up early, as usual, to her morning prayers, finding inner peace through them, and thus beginning a beautiful day. Yet this time, her prayer was somewhat different from before. A voice was calling to her. Could it be that the God of Suffering, Ilmater, had finally taken notice of her efforts and was ready to bestow his blessings upon her? Anna’s heart skipped several beats. She was a tiny bit proud of her recent preaching and proselytizing work; just yesterday, a full ten Gnolls had been baptized and converted to the faith of the God of Suffering. This was the result of her hard work finally paying off. It was a recognition of the dedication she had put into her work all this time. Of course, the support from Gaven, the Lord, who vigorously promoted the faith, also played a significant role. The only regret was that, so far, she had not been able to train a single Gnoll Priest. It couldn’t be helped, the Gnolls’ Perception was too low, and it was difficult for them to embark on the path of a Priest. Following Gaven’s suggestion, she took a different approach, teaching these Gnoll converts the art of making Healing Potions. Naturally, what they did were merely the initial stages—preparing the various medicinal ingredients. She would have to take over in the end because the crucial element of a Healing Potion was the infusion of Positive Energy. Without that Positive Energy, they were just shoddy knockoffs, unable to possess such miraculous healing effects. This approach greatly conserved Anna’s time, allowing her to produce more Healing Potions in the same period and help more people. Calm down! Remain calm! Her current behavior was not fitting for a follower of the God of Suffering. She should be unperturbed by honor or disgrace. Having calmed herself, Anna carefully listened to the call emanating from the depths of her soul. Something was not right. This was not the voice of her deity. Although she had no experience in hearing divine commands, she knew it definitely shouldn’t be like this. The voice sounded much like Mr. Gaven’s. Could it be an illusion? She had not seen Mr. Gaven’s figure for some time recently; he had been quite secretive. She heard he was always with the Yaling Lord of the Fairy Wilderness, probably discussing matters of cooperation. The Maiden Priestess cautiously inquired, "Mr. Gaven, is that you?" "It’s me, it’s me. Can you hear my voice?" As Anna’s Soul Consciousness began to concentrate, the voice she heard became clearer. It was indeed Gaven’s voice and not the voice of the Deity she worshipped. This realization brought a slight disappointment to the Maiden Priestess. But her disappointment was fleeting. What she did, she did not do solely for the glory of the God of Suffering but also because she enjoyed it. Being too concerned with gains and losses would easily lead her to lose sight of her original intention. Regathering her thoughts, Anna asked, "I can hear you. What’s going on?" "I have built a Dragon Oak Dream Realm with Lord Virginia using the Dragon Oak Mother Tree, hang on, I will guide you in," Gaven briefly explained. "What do I need to do?" "Nothing, just don’t resist my guidance." "Alright." Before the Maiden Priestess could finish speaking, she felt the scenery before her eyes change, and she found herself in a vast, pale world with nothing around except for Mr. Gaven standing not far away. It was immediately apparent that he was not in his normal state; he appeared semi-incorporeal, emitting a faint blue glow, bearing a resemblance to a Ghost. Gaven sounded a bit unsure, "Anna? Anna Caben?" The figure before him was somewhat like Anna, but not the Human Maiden one would expect. Instead, it was a Demi-Human reaching just his waist. "It’s me," Anna replied, her voice echoing as she looked at herself in wonder. She was unclear why she appeared as a Demi-Human here, just like Gaven; she too was in a semi-transparent state, only glowing white. This was, after all, a Dream Realm, a projection reshaped by Soul Consciousness. The counterpart didn’t necessarily have to be of their original species—the Pikespirit girl had changed to the size she took on after transforming. Anna Caben appeared as a Demi-Human, which was naturally not something odd. "Oh!" Lord Virginia let out a surprised murmur, appearing almost instantaneously beside the Maiden Priestess, closely examining her. This scrutinizing gaze made Anna extremely uncomfortable and somewhat shyly, she shifted a little closer to Gaven, whispering, "And he is...?" "This is Lord Virginia, the Guardian of Spring Bud Forest, the Yaling Lord," Gaven introduced them to one another, "He is the very special Priestess Anna Caben I mentioned to you, Lord Virginia. Is there a problem?" Virginia wore a look of uncertainty and said, "I sense the presence of a Spirit Soul on her, but it’s not quite clear. Miss Anna, have you ever made a contract with the Fae Race or Spirit Souls before?" "No... no," Anna shook her head, equally casting a timid look at Virginia, unable to help but exclaim internally, so beautiful! Virginia himself had a perfectly flawless face and figure even within the state of Soul Consciousness, radiating with vigorous, vibrant Life Force, shining with a faint green glow, evoking the sense of looking up at a vast forest. The aura he emitted made Anna feel strangely Cordial. Standing beside him, she felt warm all over, as if the Light of Life was cleansing her Soul, infusing vitality. "No?" Virginia frowned slightly, seeming even more puzzled. Even his frown was attractive. Not wanting to cause him any concern, Anna hastily said, "When I was a child, I once saw some strange and curious beings in my grandparents’ ancestral home. Umm, they must have been the Fae Race, very small, tiny people with wings, and teacups that could move by themselves. I even befriended them. But the adults said those were just imaginary friends conjured up by children and shouldn’t be taken seriously. Later, the ancestral home sadly burned down, and I never saw them again. But as for a contract, I really don’t remember signing one..." "Those weren’t figments of your imagination; they were kind-hearted Fae living in your grandparents’ ancestral home. They like to play with innocent children and prefer not to show themselves in front of adults. Hence, they often get mistaken as imaginary friends made up by children," Virginia responded with a definite answer.